


A Continuum Continuation

by Bobbie23



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M, Missing Scene, Stargate: Continuum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:07:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21608794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bobbie23/pseuds/Bobbie23
Summary: "You can only ask for retirement so many times before the President asks you why," he quips. "That's the second draft. You should've read the first."
Relationships: Samantha "Sam" Carter/Jack O'Neill
Comments: 6
Kudos: 126





	A Continuum Continuation

Jack glances over at the table in the corner to check the team are playing nice. He smirks at the scene they make camped out in the booth. Vala, legs tucked under her on the booth’s bench, leads the conversation. Jack can’t hear what she’s saying but judging by the hand gestures and the way she bumps Daniel’s shoulder playfully it’s a provocative tale to draw the archaeologist into arguing with her. It doesn’t take much for Daniel to take the bait to start firing zingers back, fuelling their verbal sparring.  
  
Jack’s smirk softens to a smile, Vala is a good foil for his best friend. Despite their rocky start, she’s proved herself tenfold. She certainly won’t let Daniel get lost in his books. With an interesting sense of humour, Vala is never boring. Jack smirks again.  
  
On the other side of Daniel, Mitchell watches them with barely veiled, practised look of nonchalance as if he wants to be anywhere but at the table with the loud couple. Teal’c sits beside him with his grey streak and an amused expression at their antics. They’re enjoying themselves. More importantly, they’re preoccupied.  
  
There’s a tug at his heart. At the Pentagon, he feels so far removed from field teams and misses the dynamic, especially when he spends time with the current SG-1. He feels he gets when he has the rare opportunity to drop in on his team at the base or on a team night tides him over for a while except it is fleeting. They’ve drifted yet their connection as a team remains. They still complement each other spread across the wider program except they don’t share the experience as they used to. As much as Jack hates to admit it, he knows they are all in the right places. He’s just grateful Mitchell and Vala have Daniel and Teal’c’s backs when he and Sam can’t.  
  
It’s a begrudging compromise on his grumpier days.  
  
Just like his lunch concession before he whisks Sam away to someplace private. He’s waiting for her nod. He knows she wants to see the guys - they’ve missed her too if their months of badgering is anything to go by - yet can’t help the jolt sparking inside him as she stands beside him at the bar.  
  
He casts a glance at her. Her lithe form highlighted by the skinny jeans and casual tee under her leather jacket is more disarming than the combat gear she donned for the extraction ceremony. Her eyes drift up from the menu when she senses his gaze on her. She offers him half a smile and searches his face. Her eyebrow twitches, questioning.  
  
He brushes his hand against hers on the bar.  
  
He’s okay. He’s missed her.  
  
They’ve managed to spend a couple of days of leave together in the past year only it’s difficult to maintain a relationship based on continually traded emails. Video calls were monitored and reserved for work. He has no doubts about their relationship; the look she reserves just for him makes his heartbeat quicker.  
  
Her finger trails down his thumb. She’s missed him too.  
  
His hand twitches, wanting to cover hers. They’re not prone to public displays. Discretion isn’t a compromise for them. They’re private people. Even if they had extrovert personalities, they’ve spent too many years having too many eyes on them to allow themselves the luxury of indulging in public. But it’d be nice to hold her hand or be able to walk a fraction closer.  
  
Not that it’d matter to the Daniel and Teal’c, they know. The shift in their relationship is an open secret amongst the original SG-1. Hell, he’s pretty sure Vala knows if the coy, teasing looks she occasionally shoots him are anything to go by. Plus, she’s Vala. It’s as if she has a sixth sense for this kind of thing.  
  
If anything, Mitchell is the wildcard of the group.  
  
He’s a good guy, dedicated to his team. He impressed Jack with his determination after the crash in Antarctica, and since when he’s brought SG-1 home during his tenure as unit leader. They haven’t spent too much time together but Jack can understand why Mitchell is a tad too mindful when he’s in Jack’s presence. Mitchell has never given them an odd look or inferred anything. As much as Jack hates it or that he thinks Mitchell will fuel it, the fact is he and Sam have been rumour mill fodder for years so the guy must have heard something. Jack doesn’t know if the younger man knows.  
  
Jack sighs. Even in his head, that sounds wrong.  
  
Still, he isn’t going to risk his and Sam’s privacy by making a move. Smiles and banter will have to suffice till they’re alone, preferably with a lock on the door and cell phones off for at least a few hours if not days.  
  
She has, after all, spent the last twelve months in another galaxy.  
  
Their reunion has been on his mind since she received her orders. He’s thought of her every time he’s glanced at a calendar, every time someone mentioned Atlantis.  
  
Speaking of, “Woolsey’s an idiot,” Jack announces without preamble.  
  
That draws Sam’s attention from the menu. She gives him a wry smile before releasing a soft sigh. She hasn’t had time to vent. Not that Jack thinks she will. “It wasn’t just his decision.”  
  
“Well, they’re all idiots,” Jack amends with a grumble.  
  
It’s true. Jack had been in the meeting when Woolsey demanded the reinstatement of civilian control of Atlantis. At the end of his rhetoric, Woolsey was told to pack his bags. The poor bastard hadn’t seen it coming. He’d never volunteer himself for an extended stay off-world, let alone another galaxy.  
  
Jack clearly remembers the slack expression Woolsey wore as he tried to weasel out of the assignment. With Woolsey’s fate decided, Jack let the rest of meeting fade into the background. Sam was coming home.  
  
She did a good job giving the IOA the perfect reason to retake control. They admitted it themselves along with various members submitting recommendation letters for her file. Still, he knows the assignment being taken away will bother her.  
  
“You alright?”  
  
“I’m fine,” Sam shrugs. “It just feels like I left things unfinished.”  
  
“That wasn’t your call,” Jack reminds her. He understands the responsibility she feels to the people who were under her care for the last year. She will hate feeling like she abandoned them.  
  
“I know,” she breathes out. “I was just starting to settle in.” She shakes her head. “Saying that I am happy to be home,” she adds. “I never thought I’d be homesick with everything to do there,” Sam admits.  
  
It’s a simple statement which reveals so much more, a sucker punch to his gut. He’s immediately reminded she probably won’t be staying for long. Returning to the SGC is a brief stop-gap for her. She won’t be staying. Potential assignments are crying out for her attention. She can be TAD to SG-1, except it won’t stick. It’s a step backwards in her career to return permanently. She’s proved herself ready for leadership roles; ones she’s been moulded for since the inception of the SGC. Unfortunately, he knows none of those positions is available on Earth. Decisions will be made and Landry will give her the new orders once she returns from leave.  
  
“They’ll miss you,” Jack tells her gently. “You were missed here,” he reminds her lowly, his hand between them teasing the lapel of her jacket.  
  
If her head tilt is anything to go by, she finds his admission endearing. There’s a coy spark in her eyes as she beams at him. Her eyes drop to his hand in a slight warning except he’s undeterred. Meeting his bold move, she steps a fraction closer and his body gears up for testing their public boundaries. They’re in sync as they glance over her shoulder. Their friends are still focused on each other.  
  
“Well, I’m home now,” Sam assures him, closing the last few inches and their lips meet.  
  
“Welcome home,” he whispers against her lips. They part far too quickly to satisfy either of them.  
  
The bartender finally manages to free himself to take their order, explaining they have two people out sick. Sam and Jack take turns rattling off the round of drinks for their table. The bartender sets about preparing the drinks and says a waiter will take their food order at the table as soon as possible.  
  
As they wait for the tray that’s set before them to be filled, Jack reaches into his pocket for the envelope he stashed there. “Look, I, uh, did something before I knew you were coming home.” He hands her the envelope, gesturing awkwardly at it for her to open it before he can second guess himself. “I know our plan was to wait but I got impatient.”  
  
She answers him with a look which is downright teasing. He puffs out his chest, he’s renowned for his patience. She rolls her eyes and unfolds the letter, scanning the page as he watches. It takes everything in him for him to stay still. His fingers itch to fidget. Telling her about his retirement could have waited till they were alone. He should’ve discussed it with Sam. He didn’t mean to get pissed and go off half-cocked. He’s tired of dealing with politicians and watching his manners when they’re provoking him.  
  
Her eyes track down the page twice before she looks up at him. He tries to catalogue everything he can see in her wide eyes; shock, fear, doubt. Hope.  
  
“You gave this to the President?”  
  
“Well, yeah.” He decides to play along to see her reaction. She flushes and rereads the letter. It’s cute. “You can only ask for retirement so many times before the President asks you why,” he quips. “By the way, that’s the second draft.” Her eyes snap to his. “You should’ve read the first.”  
  
She raises an eyebrow at him. He hasn’t answered her unspoken question yet. She doesn’t know if she should expect an inquiry when she returns to base. She won’t. He compromised on retirement by agreeing to be retained as a consultant. He officially retired as of leaving base less than an hour ago. He’s thrown the idea around for years but neither of them has been ready till now. He’s not sure she is. It’s so close to coming home but it’s done. He never wanted it to be perceived as a gesture. She never wanted to be the reason he left. He’s leaving to protect the last sliver of his sanity.  
  
“The third and final version was heavily edited,” Jack admits when she remains quiet. The President did ask but Sam doesn’t need to know anything other than what was in the letter. Actually, the President said Jack had been dragging his heels with Sam for far too long.  
  
“Jack, you’re retired,” she sighs, folding the paper she slips it into her pocket. He loves hearing her say his name. She tilts her head to the side, a smile slowly growing across her face. Pacified that he hasn’t submitted this version to the President she steps back into his space. Her hand cups his cheek gently. “Are you sure about this?”  
  
“More than anything.”  
  
He lets her capture his lips with a longing created by their year apart. The kiss is still chaste, sweet and nothing like how he wanted to greet her with but it will do. Then she winds her arms around his neck and pulls him closer. Jack holds on to her, one hand sliding around her waist as the other cups her cheek. She’s pressed against him, familiar, pliant and welcoming. Their kiss is soft and deliberately languid. Skirting promises of continuing in private, Jack pulls back while keeping hold of her.  
  
“Welcome home,” he repeats. “Do you think they’ll notice if we skip lunch?” He asks softly, leaning his forehead against hers.  
  
“Cam will lead a search party if we do,” Sam hums in a way which is both soft and throaty and utterly agreeable. Damn, he loves her. “But Teal’c enjoys watching Vala torture Daniel too much to help him.” Her hand slides down his chest with a not so covert caress. Two fingers tap his heart. “Though it has been a very long year.”  
  
“So, later?” Jack grins.  
  
“Later,” Sam confirms with a playful smile of her own.  
  
He dips his head for one last quick peck of her lips before releasing her.  
  
888  
  
“When the hell did that happen?” Cam asks as he spies Sam and O’Neill wrapped around each other.  
  
“Pay up boys, I told you he didn’t know,” she crows, pumping both hands into the air before nudging Jackson’s shoulder.  
  
Jackson suddenly finds his place setting fascinating while Teal’c offers him nothing. Vala looks like a predator about to pounce on its’ prey. He gets the feeling he’s the prey.  
  
Jackson winces as he lifts his head and clears his throat, fidgeting with a coaster which he taps twice on the table before looking up. “Uh, yeah about that,” he starts.  
  
“Don’t be a sore loser. A bet is a bet,” Vala reminds him. “Mitchell didn’t know that Sam and Mr Jack over there are,” she gestures vaguely in their direction with an action Cam refuses to acknowledge. They’re still his senior officers.  
  
“You all knew?”  
  
“I don’t know how you didn’t,” Vala blithely comments.  
  
“Well, we only bet against you that Cam knew so you wouldn’t tell him,” Jackson directs back at her but she doesn’t let him off the hook and holds out her hand.  
  
“You don’t get out of paying up because you tried to play me, Daniel Jackson,” she says sweetly, redirecting her predatory gaze at him.  
  
Cam shakes his head. He doesn’t care that Sam and O’Neill are together. If they’re happy, he’s happy. It’s not like they’ve advertised themselves nor will he. His team knew something he had no idea about. He’s used to hazing, but he’s been a part of the team long enough now to earn some trust. They’re always punking him like he’s their little brother. Teal’c saves Jackson from explaining why they never clued him in.  
  
“We wished to save you from compromising your position in the Stargate Program if O’Neill and Colonel Carter were investigated for breaching Air Force regulations.”  
  
“We wanted you to have plausible deniability if anyone wanted to use their relationship to shut the program down,” Jackson explains. “You’d be obligated to report them if you knew.”  
  
Okay, so they have a point. He’d have kept their secrets if he had to but it would’ve gone against his training.  
  
“Are you conflicted by their display of affection Colonel Mitchell?”  
  
“Nah, it’s great, I just…” He sits up straighter as the couple approach their booth. “You coulda given me a heads up,” he whispers loudly. “I wouldn’t have said anything.”  
  
“Watcha’ talking about kids?” Jack asks as he and Sam take the spaces next to Vala.  
  
“Daniel trying to worm his way out of settling a bet and Cam’s inability to spot what’s right in front of him,” Vala provides with an eye roll. “Always the last to know.”  
  
“Ah,” Jack says knowingly.  
  
“I’m happy for you guys, Sir, Sam,” Mitchell mumbles. Sam smiles kindly at him.  
  
“Don’t worry about it Mitchell, they wouldn’t bother to punk you if they didn’t care,” Jack tells him. Mitchell sips at the beer placed in front of him. “And you’re not the last to know that I am officially retired. Drop the ‘sir’.”  


**Author's Note:**

> Any thought?


End file.
